Editor’s Note

The "First Episode" series is here to help you watch the drama. Are the recently aired dramas worth watching? Let's take a look at the good ones and the weird ones.

Some shows may gradually get better, while others may start strong but end badly, so this article only represents the author's opinion on the first few episodes, for reference only. If there are any subsequent disappointments, I will keep you posted.

"The Journey to the West"

Broadcast platform: iQiyi

Premiere date: July 18

First of all, it is worth praising that they did not get carried away just because the first part unexpectedly became popular and was recognized by the audience. Not only did the original team create seriously and not randomly add supporting roles, but they also listened to the audience's suggestions and added the two roles of Yu Yi and Che Baoluo, providing performance space for the two roles. Putting aside the second part of the play itself, such a sincere and advisable creative team itself makes people like it twice as much, which is rare in the domestic entertainment industry.

Official stills of "The Strange Stories of the Tang Dynasty: Journey to the West"

Back to the topic, in terms of quality, the second part can only be said to be on par with the first part. It has some highlights occasionally, but the overall level has not improved.

The progress is that the character relationships are handled more skillfully and clearly. In the Chang'an Black Tea Case at the beginning of the first part, the character relationships are still a bit confusing, and it is easy for the audience to lose interest. However, in the "Demon Conquering" at the beginning of the second part, important figures such as Lu Lingfeng, Su Wuming, the princess, the prince, and the emperor are included through one case, and it jumps directly to the prince's ascension to the throne and the change of dynasty.

The two are similar in terms of the cases. The first case has a sense of art, religious mystery, and the curiosity of the ghost market, which maintains the advantages of the first part and makes good use of the multicultural background of the Tang Dynasty. The second case is the death of a coroner, which also involves the art of pottery figurines.

However, there is no improvement. Just like the first part, the crime-solving process is not good enough. Sometimes it is too dragged out, sometimes too jumpy, and the overall logic is not clearly explained. The creators want the characters to solve the case when they want, and they make it difficult when they want to. Basically, the audience can only be led by the nose and enjoy the curiosity and excitement. It is difficult to really watch it as a crime-solving story.

In addition, the character creation is still "short drama", too stereotyped, the emperor, princess, prince, basically functional roles, thin characters. In the first part, the author said that the flaws did not outweigh the merits, but in the second part, I still hope that the main creative team can make more progress. At this level, it is indeed a boutique in the summer season among domestic dramas. At least there is motivation to follow it, but the parts that have not improved are still a little disappointing.

Red Heat

Broadcasting platform: CCTV-8, Tencent, iQiyi

Premiere date: July 14

The theme of the series is the story of entrepreneurship and business war in the chip industry. It has been broadcast for nearly 20 episodes, but the popularity is not high. To be honest, this drama tells the story seriously, the plot is rich, the rhythm is well controlled, and the characters are distinct. The protagonists went from Tsinghua University to Berkeley in the United States, and then started entrepreneurship and business wars. It is not perfunctory, especially Brian, played by Aarif Lee, who has various means of poaching people. Zhang Haichao and Huang Linxi are not just in love, but are close and distant with their careers. Perhaps the biggest bug is that Huang Xiaoming, Zhang Chao, Wang Ou, Shi Shi, and Aarif Lee, a group of people around 40 years old, played college students for several episodes.

Despite this, the series has only average popularity and low discussion. The reason for this may be that the series was born at the wrong time. Topics such as entrepreneurship and business wars do not appeal to today's audiences. It is also difficult for the audience to resonate with the elites who can easily borrow $5 million even when they are in trouble.

I laughed when I saw the character in the play describe her ideal company like this.

Young White Horse Drunk in the Spring Breeze

Broadcast platform: Youku

Premiere date: July 19

There is a high-scoring anime version of this drama currently being broadcast, and the live-action version also casts young male actors, but so far, it has not been as successful as "Song of Youth".

Poster of "Young White Horse Drunk in Spring Breeze"

In conclusion, as someone who has not watched the anime version, I feel that the two aspects of Chuunibyou and martial arts failed to strike a good balance, and both were not done well enough.

Watch it for the martial arts, but once the fights start, it's all special effects, and you can't see the moves clearly. It's not as good as the martial arts scenes in the ancient costume detective drama Tang Gui next door. Martial arts itself emphasizes the pleasure of revenge, and the sword falls with a swift movement, but now the series has few scenes and is full of chatter. According to feedback from some comic fans, many lines can be removed without affecting the main plot.

Watch it for the Chuunibyou anime adaptation, but it's not appropriately Chuunibyou, it's long-winded, and awkward. It's like someone is talking seriously, but in the middle of the conversation a few Chuunibyou lines get inserted, seriously interrupting the mood.

As a viewer who has not read the comics, I am still confused after watching three or four episodes. I have no idea what the protagonists want to do, and the plot is not advanced at all.

Fans who like this anime can continue to follow it. As for the live-action series, just watch it as a peripheral product.